An inkjet printing mechanism is a type of non-impact printing device which forms characters, symbols, graphics or other images by controllably spraying drops of ink. The mechanism includes a cartridge, often called a “pen,” which houses a printhead. The printhead has very small nozzles through which the ink drops are ejected. To print an image the pen is propelled back and forth across a media sheet, while the ink drops are ejected from the printhead in a controlled pattern.
Inkjet printing mechanisms may be employed in a variety of devices, such as printers, plotters, scanners, facsimile machines, copiers, and the like. There are various forms of inkjet printheads, known to those skilled in the art, including, for example, thermal inkjet printheads and piezoelectric printheads. In a thermal inkjet printing system, ink flows along ink channels from a reservoir into an array of vaporization chambers. Associated with each chamber is a heating element and a nozzle. A respective heating element is energized to heat ink contained within the corresponding chamber. The corresponding nozzle forms an ejection outlet for the heated ink. As the pen moves across the media sheet, the heating elements are selectively energized causing ink drops to be expelled in a controlled pattern. The ink drops dry on the media sheet shortly after deposition to form a desired image (e.g., text, chart, graphic or other image).
An off-axis ink delivery system includes a primary supply of ink stored off the moving carriage axis. In a “take-a-sip” off-axis ink supply system, the carriage moves into a service station where a connection between the cartridge and the off-axis ink supply is established. The cartridge then is refilled.